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'Part of this trend may also be due to some of the gridlock in Congress,' Eagan told The Atlantic. 'As Republicans took over Congress during Obama's final two years, students may have felt more pressure, more inclined to choose a side. And I think that last year's election certainly exacerbated that.'

The political polarity was especially palpable in terms of gender.

POLITICAL DIFFERENCES WERE AMPLIFIED BY GENDER AMONG COLLEGE FRESHMAN

Political orientation

Women

Men

Far left

4.5

3.9

Liberal

36.6

25.0

Middle of the road

40.7

44.2

Conservative

16.9

24.2

Far right

1.3

2.7

Politics were a major breaking point between genders. More women than ever said they were liberal or far left this year, while the number was much lower for men

While college freshman women have always skewed more blue than red, this year more women described themselves as liberal or far left than ever before in the survey's 51-year history.

More than 41 per cent of women respondents described themselves as liberal or far left compared to 28.9 per cent of men.

Women were also solidly on the side of many liberal causes such as stricter gun control (75.4 per cent versus 58.8 per cent of men) and addressing climate change (82.4 per cent versus 77.6 per cent of men).

Democrat Hillary Clinton's historic run as the first female nominee from one of the two major parties likely 'galvanized' female collegiates, Eagan said.

Eagan says he hopes colleges will see the survey as an 'opportunity for campuses to facilitate dialogues that bridge differences'.

The study's lead researcher said he hopes colleges see the survey as an 'opportunity for campuses to facilitate dialogues that bridge differences'. Above, New York University students gather for a Black Lives Matter protest in Washington Square Park on November 16, 2016